Sessions at Using Social Media to Communicate (UCISA) about Twitter on Wednesday 18th January

When the Social Web first started to become popular the response from some was to look for ways to block use since there were feelings that such services were inappropriate for use in a educational context, in addition to concerns regarding performance, capacity, legal issues, etc.

However there is now a better understanding of ways in which the Social Web can be used to support legitimate aspects of University activities including teaching and learning, research and administrative work.

The term 'social' has perhaps been responsible for such confusions since it implies non-professional activities. If, however, we regarded the social Web as supporting collaborative activities we can see that it can have a role to play in supporting those working in IT Service departments as well as teaching and learning and research staff.

In this talk Brian Kelly will explore ways in which the Social Web can be used by those working in IT Service departments by supporting collaborative activities with one's peers across the sector. In many respects this is nothing new, since IT Service staff will be familiar with use of mailing lists to engage with others. However there are now new opportunities to use technologies such as blogs and Twitter to build on existing connections and contacts and enhance the development of a Community of Practice across IT Service departments.